Getting Started with Amazon Connect

An Amazon Connect instance is the starting point for your contact center. After you
create an
instance, you can edit the settings for it, which include telephony, data storage,
data
streaming, application integration, and contact flows. You can then launch your instance
from the AWS Management Console and start using your contact center.

Note

Amazon Connect is not available to customers in India using Amazon Web Services through
Amazon Internet
Services Pvt. Ltd (AISPL). You will receive an error message if you try to create
an
instance in Amazon Connect.

After you create an Amazon Connect instance, you can claim a phone number to use for
your contact
center. After you claim a number, you can place a test call in to your contact center
to
confirm that it is working correctly. Calls are handled in the contact center using
the
Contact Control Panel (CCP). The CCP is built in to the Amazon Connect Contact Center
Manager (CCM).
For more information about how agents use the CCP, see Using the Contact Control Panel in the
Amazon Connect User Guide.

You can edit the settings for your instance in the AWS Management Console. After you
create your
instance, you can access it by using the URL in the Access URL column.
The access URL is the URL your agents, administrators, and managers use to log in
to and
access the CCM and the CCP. For more information, see Amazon Connect Instances.

Note

If you use SAML-based authentication for identity management, your users must log
in
to your instance through your identity provider instead of using the access URL for
your
instance.

Before You Begin

When you sign up for Amazon Web Services (AWS), your AWS account is automatically
signed up
for all services in AWS, including Amazon Connect. You are charged only for the services
that
you use.

If you have an AWS account already, skip to the next task. If you don't have an
AWS account, use the following procedure to create one.

If you previously signed in to the AWS Management Console using AWS account root user
credentials, choose
Sign in to a different account. If you previously signed in to the console
using IAM credentials, choose Sign-in using root account credentials.
Then choose Create a new AWS account.

Follow the online instructions.

Part of the sign-up procedure involves receiving a phone call and entering
a verification code using the phone keypad.

Port and Protocol Requirements

If you plan to use the Amazon Connect softphone Contact Control Panel (CCP) for your
agents
to handle calls in Amazon Connect, you need allow traffic through the ports for the
required
protocols used by Amazon Connect to communicate with the softphone and other AWS services
used by Amazon Connect. The softphone client runs in a web browser, and connects to
Amazon Connect and
other AWS services using a set of public IP addresses and TCP/UDP ports. To allow
for that communication, you must permit traffic in your network to the ports and
protocols described in Softphone CCP IP Address
Ranges.

Plan for User and Identity Management

Before you set up your Amazon Connect instance, you should decide how you want to
manage your
Amazon Connect users. You cannot change the option you select for identity management
after you
create the instance. If you decide to change the option or directory you selected,
you
can delete the instance and create a new one. When you delete an instance, you lose
all
configuration settings and metrics data for it.

You can choose from one of the following supported identity management solutions
supported in Amazon Connect:

Store users with Amazon Connect—Choose this option if you
want to create and manage user accounts within Amazon Connect. When you manage users
in
Amazon Connect, the user name and password for each user is specific to Amazon Connect.
Users must
remember a separate user name and password to log in to Amazon Connect.

Link to an existing directory—Choose this option
to use an existing directory. The directory must be associated with your
account, set up in AWS Directory Service, and be active in the same Region in which
you create
your instance. If you plan to choose this option, you should prepare your
directory before you create your Amazon Connect instance. For more information, see
Use an Existing Directory for Amazon Connect Identity
Management.

SAML 2.0-based authentication—Choose this option
if you want to use your existing network identity provider to federate users
with Amazon Connect. Users can only log in to Amazon Connect by using the link configured
through
your identity provider. If you plan to choose this option, you should configure
your environment for SAML before you create your Amazon Connect instance. For more
information, see Configure SAML for Identity Management in Amazon
Connect.

For Access URL, enter an instance alias for your
instance, and choose Next step.

The name that you enter is displayed as the instance alias in the AWS Management Console,
and is used as the domain in the access URL to access your contact center. The
alias must be globally unique, meaning that an alias can be used only one time
across all Amazon Connect instances and Regions. You cannot change the alias URL after
your instance is created.

For Step 2: Administrator, do one of the
following:

If you chose Store users with Amazon Connect for identity
management, enter the user details for an admin account, and choose
Next step.

If you chose Link to an existing directory for
identity management, enter the user name for the account to use as the
admin account for your instance, and choose Next
step.

If the user name that you enter does not exist in your directory, you
can add it later.

Choose Skip this to create an admin account
later. To create an admin later, log in to your instance as an
administrator from the Amazon Connect console.

For Step 3: Telephony options, indicate whether you'd
like your contact center to accept calls, make calls, or both. You can set the
user permissions within the Amazon Connect web application. The telephone number options
are provided after setup.

For Step 4: Data storage, you can keep the default
settings or choose Customize settings. For more
information, see Data Storage.

Port Your Current Phone Number

To continue to use your current United States phone number with Amazon Connect, you
can submit
a support ticket to port the number to Amazon Connect. The Amazon Connect team processes
your request and
assists you with the number porting process.

Porting phone numbers typically takes between two to four weeks after you submit the
required information. The amount of time depends on the complexity of the request
and
your current carrier. Porting toll-free numbers, or requests to port a large quantity
of
numbers at one time, usually take longer than porting local, direct dial numbers.

We recommend that you select a phone number for Amazon Connect so that you can become
familiar
with the service while waiting for your number to be ported.

Log in with the account used to create the Amazon Connect instance to which to port
your current number.

Choose Support, Support
Center.

On the Support Center page, choose Create
Case.

Fill in values for the following fields:

For Regarding, choose Service Limit
Increase.

For Limit Type, choose
Connect.

For Region, select the Region in which you
created your Amazon Connect instance.

For Limit, choose Phone Number
Porting.

For New limit value, enter the number of phone
numbers to port.

For Use Case Description, include as much
information as possible about your request, including whether the
numbers are Direct Inward Dial or toll-free, your current carrier, and
the contact information for the person authorized to make changes to
your current phone service. If you do not know all of these details, you
may leave information out.

Fill in the rest of the form, and choose Submit.

About Porting Phone Numbers

When you port your current phone number into Amazon Connect, we provide any possible
assistance. However, many of the steps are performed by telecommunications carriers.

We collect the information necessary to verify that you are authorized to port the
numbers that you request. We pass that information on to your existing carrier, and
coordinate with the new carrier to get your number ported. Each carrier has their
own process and requirements for number porting. Your number cannot be ported until
your current carrier verifies that you own and are authorized to port the numbers
requested. Your current carrier must approve the request to port your number before
the new carrier can provision the number. After that is complete, the Amazon Connect
team can
start configuring your Amazon Connect instance to use the ported numbers.

The steps in the porting process are as follows:

Submit a support ticket to port your number.

Confirm number portability. The Amazon Connect team confirms whether the numbers
that you request can be ported from your current carrier. We then contact
you with next steps, or notify you that the requested numbers cannot be
ported.

Complete the Letter of Authorization/Agency (LOA). When you complete the
LOA form, the information you provide must match the information on file
with your current carrier. If the information does not match, it may delay
the porting of your number. The LOA form authorizes your current carrier to
release your number and allow it to be ported. If your number can be ported,
we provide you with an LOA form appropriate for the type of number to port.
There are different forms for local, Direct Inward Dial (DID), and toll-free
numbers. If you are porting multiple numbers from different carriers, fill
out a separate form for each carrier.

On the LOA form, include the following:

The numbers to port

Information about your current carrier, such as a phone
bill

Contact information for the person authorized to make changes to
your phone service

To get the port started, the Amazon Connect team submits the LOA to the carrier for
Amazon Connect on your behalf. The new carrier works with your current carrier to
move your current number over to their service. This step typically takes
3–5 business days.

If your current carrier is able to validate and approve your request, they
provide a date for the number to be ported to Amazon Connect.

If your current carrier rejects the request to port your number due to the
LOA not having correct or complete information, the Amazon Connect team contacts you
and requests a new LOA to submit to the carrier.

When we receive a date from your current carrier, we start adding the numbers to
your Amazon Connect instance about a day before the scheduled date.

Integrate with Your CRM

You can integrate Amazon Connect with the Salesforce and Zendesk CRMs. Integration
allows you
to launch your contact center in your CRM of choice, maintain your existing user base,
and use the Amazon Connect cloud-based infrastructure.

To integrate the Contact Control Panel (CCP) into your CRM, see Amazon Connect Contact Streams.
When completed, add the origin URLs to your instance settings. This enables
communication between Amazon Connect and your CRM. For more information, see Application Integration.

Remove Your Amazon Connect Instance

If you no longer want to use an Amazon Connect instance, you can delete it. If you
delete an
instance, the phone number claimed for the instance is released. You lose all settings,
data, metrics, and reports associated with the instance.

Important

You cannot undo the deletion of an instance or restore settings or data from the
instance after it is deleted.